


Will You Accept This Rose?

by madsholland



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bachelorette AU, F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:13:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28572066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madsholland/pseuds/madsholland
Summary: Remus would never consider himself to be unlucky in love - he just hasn’t found the right girl yet. It’s only after a nomination from his best friend that Remus finds himself embarking on his search for happily ever after and navigating the thrills and spills of reality TV romance.But what happens when he realizes that it’s not the Bachelorette who has caught his eye?
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Remus Lupin & Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black & James Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 5
Kudos: 25





	1. Season Promo

**Author's Note:**

> Preview for the new season of The Bachelorette: Marauders Edition.
> 
> See my Tumblr, madsholland, for more information about this work.

_“Please welcome the new Bachelorette: Lily Evans!”_

_“It is very difficult for me to put love and relationships first. I always thought that I had to choose between love and a career. I let my insecurities and fear dictate my life. I am not going to be a victim of that anymore. I am ready to meet someone who I can share my life with.”_

_“I am so grateful to be the Bachelorette. I’m ready to open up and I’m ready to find love. I’m not going to let everything in my life that has scared me hold me back. I can only imagine how much I am going to grow and how much of a better person I’ll be after this experience. If I meet my husband here, I would be so happy.”_

_“I’ve reprioritized my life. I’ve realized I don’t have to choose between love and a career - I can have both. At the end of this, I hope I’m standing in some amazing place with a man that I love and he’s asking me to marry him. I better have some waterproof mascara on that day.”_


	2. Night One

_“Hi. I’m Chris Harrison and welcome to the exciting new season of the Bachelorette. Tonight, America’s most eligible bachelors are here to meet Lily. Lily’s on her way here right now but before we welcome her, take a look at the twenty-five bachelors who have come from all over America to meet her.”_

______________________________

_James. 26.  
Sports Commentator at ESPN.  
New York, New York. _

_“My name is James. I’m 26 years old from Greenwich, Connecticut but I’m currently living in the greatest city in the world - NYC, BABY!”_

_“I used to play lacrosse when I was at Yale and I loved every second of it. Now, I’ve chosen to continue my passion for sports as a Sports Commentator for ESPN.”_

_“Woo! I love you, Lily. This is all for you, baby.”_

_“I’m going to win her heart. I am. She’s going to fall in love with me and I’m going to fall in love with her. We’re getting married. That’s what’s going to happen.”_

______________________________

_Sirius. 27.  
Personal Injury Lawyer.  
Charlottesville, Virginia. _

_“I’m Sirius. I’m 27 years old from Charlottesville, Virginia. I’m a lawyer, I work in my dad’s law firm. My brother is an attorney as well so we all work there together. Toujours Pur. The family motto. A family that sues together, stays together I guess.”_

_“I’ve lived the single life for the past couple of years. I’m definitely good with the girls. It always goes over well. I loved being single but I’m ready to give that up to fall in love.”_

_“I’m really excited to meet Lily. I have a really good feeling about this season. Plus, she’s totally gorgeous, which doesn’t hurt.”_

______________________________

_Severus. 28.  
Chemical Engineer.  
Lakeside, Colorado._

_“Hello. I’m Severus. 28 years old from Lakeside, Colorado. I work as a chemical engineer.”_

_“It’s lonely out here. It’s a lot of trees. It’s a lot of mountains. Not many other people.”_

_“I need a woman. Lily is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I’d love to marry her and spend the rest of my life with her.”_

______________________________

_Remus. 26._  
_High School Teacher._  
_Cape Cod, Massachusetts._

_“My name is Remus. I’m 26 and I’m from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I was a high school english teacher in Boston for the past few years.”_

_“My mom was ill so the decision to leave Boston and move back to the Cape was simple. My mom meant so much to me that I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible.”_

_“I made the decision to stay in Cape Cod even after my mom passed. I found a job that I love, so I guess it’s time to find someone to love as well. Hopefully, that person will be Lily.”_

______________________________

_“Twenty-five eligible bachelors have left their friends, their families, and their jobs to come here and meet Lily. If all goes well, one of them will become her husband. The guys are on their way and it’s time to welcome our new Bachelorette, Lily.”_

______________________________

Remus ran his palms over his suit pants as he sat in the back of the limo, mind racing as the car carried him to meet Lily. Really, he didn’t know how he had let Tonks talk him into going on the show. It was one thing to have a laugh about the possibility; it was another thing entirely for him to actually be expected to compete against twenty-four other men for a girl. He didn’t think he was this desperate but, according to Tonks, his love life had reached this point.

The idea of finding love in 10 weeks was ridiculous, too. Who could actually fall in love that quickly? Remus just hoped he would go home maintaining at least some shred of dignity after this whole ordeal. 

“Alright. You’re up, Remus,” the young woman with the camera, Dorcas, told him with a smile.

Remus took a breath as he opened the door and stepped out of the limo, buttoning his suit jacket as he stood. He nervously ran a hand through his tawny brown hair and smiled as he walked forward to greet Lily. She looked beautiful in a long, emerald green gown that seemed to shimmer in the light and her red hair fell over her shoulders in loose curls.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Remus.” 

“Hi! I’m Lily,” she said, smiling wide as she reached her hands forward to take hold of his.

“You look beautiful,” Remus replied, leaning in to give a light kiss to her cheek.

“Thank you.”

“How’re you feeling?”

“I’m feeling really good, but a little nervous.” Lily laughed, her eyes crinkling in the corners as she did. Remus couldn’t help but notice how cute it was. 

“It’s okay, I’m nervous too,” Remus said, hoping to put her at ease.”Tonight’s going to be great. Try to relax.” 

“Thanks, Remus. It was really nice to meet you. I’ll see you inside,” she said, giving his arm a playful squeeze. “You try to relax too.”

Remus laughed. “I will.” 

Leaving Lily to wait for the other contestants, Remus made his way into the mansion. Meeting Lily hadn’t gone as badly as he anticipated. She was really nice and seemed to be very down to Earth, even if Remus had only spoken to her briefly. There was still a long night ahead, though, and Remus steeled himself as he joined the men who had arrived before him. 

“Welcome,” one of the men said, waving an arm and beckoning him over to the couches. He had long, black hair that fell just above his ears and piercing grey eyes that made Remus’s stomach flip when they met his. The man was gorgeous and as Remus took a seat beside him on the couch, he realized that most of the men there were pretty attractive. He was sure that he’d be one of the first sent home if this was his competition.

“”I’m Remus,” he said, smiling and offering a small wave to the group. 

“Sirius,” the man beside him said, extending a hand for him to shake. The rest of the guys in the room introduced themselves before settling back into their conversation. 

“This is pretty nerve-wracking, isn’t it? I’m glad I got my introduction over with. I’d been thinking about it for days!” Peter said. The poor guy looked nervous, a sheepish smile on his face and hands twiddling in his lap.

“I don’t know. I’m pretty sure I killed it.” Sirius grinned, leaning back on the couch with his hands behind his head. It took everything in Remus’s power not to roll his eyes at the cocky behavior. 

There was a shriek from Lily that filled the room, putting a brief stop to the conversation. A few of the guys had just stood to go investigate when the next contestant walked into the mansion. The guy looked slightly disheveled, his glasses askew as he dusted his hands over his suit to smooth it out. 

“Alright?” 

The guy shook out his curly brown hair as he took a seat. “She’s stunning, isn’t she? One look at her and I completely fell on my face.” He laughed, a giant grin permanently etched on his face. “I think I saved it, though. Told her I was already head over heels for her.” 

There was a groan from the corner of the room, a tall man with greasy black hair looking over in their direction with a sneer. 

“Got something to say over there?” James challenged, raising an eyebrow. 

“She’d have to be an idiot to fall for a line like that,” the man replied, rolling his eyes. 

As more men continued to arrive, the guys broke off into smaller conversations. Remus found himself talking with James and Sirius. Well, talking is a generous way to put it. The other two were doing most of the talking and playfully shoving one another. Remus was content to listen, joining in the conversation when it was directed to him. 

A chorus of cheers filled the room as Lily entered and everyone stood to greet her.

“Thank you all so much for coming. It means a lot to me that you are all taking time out of your lives to be here. We’re all here for the same reason - to find love. So why don’t we get this party started?” She smiled as she lifted her glass.

Everyone raised their glasses to Lily and the cocktail party began. 

The night flew by in a flurry of men trying to secure their time with Lily before the first rose ceremony. Remus himself had not had a chance to speak to her aside from their initial meeting and was beginning to wonder if he would have time to do so before the night was up. 

“Hey, Remus! Come here.” 

Remus looked up to see Sirius and James waving him over, laughing as they peered out the window. 

“What’s up?” he asked, leaning in to take a look outside where Lily was currently having a conversation with the greasy haired man from earlier. 

“He made her a scrapbook!” James wheezed, lifting his glasses to wipe tears from his eyes. 

“Seriously?” he asked, stepping in front of James to get a closer look. 

“Always,” Sirius replied with a grin. Remus rolled his eyes and laughed as Sirius continued. “He said it’s a scrapbook of all the things that are important to him.” 

“Doubt there’s a picture of shampoo in there, then,” Remus muttered under his breath. James and Sirius doubled over in laughter. 

“Holy shit. You’re funny. You should go out there and interrupt him.” James had finally composed himself and had a mischievous glint in his eye. 

“It’s genius. You’re innocent enough that no one would think it was on purpose,” Sirius added. 

And that’s how Remus found himself approaching the couch where Lily was seated flipping half-heartedly through the scrapbook. 

“Excuse me, Lily? May I interrupt?” 

“Of course, Remus,” Lily beamed. “It was very nice talking with you, Severus. Thank you for the scrapbook.” 

Remus waited for Severus to leave before taking a seat beside Lily, offering her a glass of champagne. 

“Thought you might want this,” he said with a smile. 

“You’re a life-saver. I feel like I’ve been sitting on this couch the entire night.” 

“Do you want to take a walk? Get a change of scenery?” 

“That sounds lovely.” 

Remus stood, offering a hand to Lily to help her up. They began walking past the pool and Lily smiled up at him, swinging their hands slightly between them. 

“So, tell me about yourself? What would you be doing if you weren’t the Bachelorette?”

Lily stopped walking and cocked her head at Remus with a smile. 

“You know you’re the only person to ask me about myself so far?”

“Really?” 

Lily nodded. “Everyone else has been giving me their elevator pitch”

“Well, I hope you have your own elevator pitch ready, then.” 

Lily and Remus took a seat on a bench beside the pool and fell into an easy conversation about their lives. Lily was 26 and recently graduated with a PhD in Chemistry from Princeton University. Beyond the basic information about her, Remus learned they actually had a lot in common. It wasn’t until they were interrupted by the host, Chris Harrison, that Remus realized how long they had been talking. 

“Lily, it’s about that time of night. You should make your decision on the First Impression Rose and head inside for any last minute conversations before the Rose Ceremony.” 

With one final smile, Chris turned and left them on the bench. 

“I guess we should head inside.” Remus began to stand when Lily stopped him, grabbing his arm. 

“Wait, Remus,” she began, pulling him back down to the bench with a smile.

“Thank you so much for tonight. I was so nervous and you were the only one that made me feel completely comfortable.” Lily turned and reached for the plate that Chris had left on the table. “So, Remus, will you accept this rose?”

To say Remus was shocked would be an understatement. He blinked for a moment before smiling and running a hand through his hair. 

“Of course,” he said, earning a wide smile from Lily as she pinned the rose to his jacket. 

They walked back into the party together and Remus could feel all eyes on him as they entered the room. Lily gave him one final hug before joining a group of guys on the other side of the room.

“Damn, Remus! Who would’ve thought you’d be the first one to snag a rose?” Sirius said, reaching up to throw an arm around his shoulders and pull him down to his level. 

“Not me, that’s for sure.” Remus laughed. 

“You’re sneaky. I’m going to keep my eye on you.” Sirius released his hold and gave Remus a shove as he let him go. 

______________________________

Eight people were sent home at the Rose Ceremony the first night. James and Sirius both received a rose. Even Severus did, much to everyone’s surprise.

Once Lily left for the evening, the remaining guys split off to find their shared rooms. Remus was dragging his suitcase down the hallway when a set of hands grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into the closest room. He turned to see James grinning at him, spreading his arms out wide to show off the room. 

“Home Sweet Home!” he exclaimed before throwing himself down on the nearest bed. 

“Oh good, you found Remus,” Sirius said from the bed next to James. 

Remus threw his suitcase down beside the last empty bed. Peter would be sharing a room with them, too, and the four of them were up for hours as they talked and got to know one another. When he thought about coming on The Bachelorette, Remus hadn’t even considered the possibility of becoming friends with any of the other guys.

Maybe coming on the show wasn’t a bad idea after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoy this first chapter! Night one is always a mess of introductions, so I hope it doesn't come off too messy in my writing.


	3. Week One

The guys were all given a day to relax in the mansion after the first night. With no television and no access to phones, they had to find ways to entertain themselves throughout the day. It didn’t help that it was early March and, even in sunny California, there could still be days where it was too cold to comfortably use the pool. 

It was also difficult to truly relax in the mansion when you were sharing it with sixteen other men. The camera crews didn’t help, either. Even on the day off, they were still being followed for footage. 

Remus, Sirius, James, and Peter filled a lot of their time playing various card games. Remus had a feeling that would get old pretty quickly if they all made it far in the competition. He was just thankful he had packed a few books in his suitcase before he left. 

They were all advised that they would need to be up and ready by ten in the morning the next day. Remus found himself awake fairly early and used it as an opportunity to shower in peace. The other downfall of life in the mansion was that there were only two bathrooms for them to share. Each bathroom had two showers, two stalls, and two sinks. Remus felt like he was back in his college dorm. 

The house was still pretty quiet when Remus walked down to the kitchen. The only other person there was Dorcas, the camera girl, whom Remus had met on his first day. She was sitting at the kitchen island with a cup of coffee, camera turned off and sitting on the counter. 

“Good morning, Dorcas.” Remus walked over to the Keurig, grabbing a mug to make himself a cup as well. 

“Morning, Remus.” Dorcas smiled, revealing a bronze glow in her cheeks. Her deep brown eyes were warm and kind as she looked to where Remus was standing. “How is life in the mansion treating you?”

“Pretty good. It’s nice being one of the few early risers.” 

While his coffee brewed, Remus grabbed a loaf of bread to make himself some toast. 

“Looks much more glamorous on television, huh?” Dorcas laughed.

“Thanks to your excellent film skills, I’m sure.” 

“You flatter me,” Dorcas said, swatting her hand in the air as she stood. “Speaking of, guess I should get to work. Don’t worry, I won’t get any footage of you eating your breakfast.”

“I appreciate that. See you.” Remus smiled, taking a seat in the kitchen to enjoy his breakfast. 

It was just about ten when Chris Harrison walked into the house, gaining everyone’s attention. 

“Gentlemen, come join me in the living room please!” 

Members of the crew were handing out mimosas as they all filtered into the living room. Remus thanked them and took a seat between Sirius and James. 

“Welcome and congratulations. You are the men that Lily has chosen to get to know better. But, only one of you will win her heart and hopefully become her husband. Let’s talk about the important stuff that will happen this week. There will be three dates - one group date and two individual dates. On each date, Lily will give out a rose. If you get that rose, you’re safe through the next Rose Ceremony.” 

“Now on the individual dates, it’s a little different. It’s a double edged sword. That’s where you want to be because you get that alone time with Lily, but if you do not get a rose on that date you’re going home immediately.”

There were some whispers around the room but Chris continued, smiling and unfazed.

“Be happy you have a date at all because not everyone will have a date with Lily this week. So who goes on what dates and where are you going? You’ll find that out as the date cards arrive. I have the first one right here,” he said, pulling an envelope out of his pocket and placing it on the table. 

“I will leave this here. Fellas, I will see you at the next Rose Ceremony.” 

Everyone said goodbye as one of the guys, Derrick, picked the envelope off the table and turned to look at the group. 

“Sirius.” 

There were cheers from James and Peter as Sirius stood from the couch, making a whooping sound. Remus laughed as Sirius turned to give the three of them high fives. A few other people in the room clapped until Sirius sat down so that Derrick could finish reading the date card. 

“All signs point to love.” 

Derrick handed over the date card and Sirius smiled as he used it to fan himself. 

“Sounds like a good one, eh boys?” Sirius leaned into Remus to show the card to both him and James. 

“Better pack your bags, Sirius,” James teased. 

“Shove off.” Sirius laughed, reaching over to punch James. 

It was a little warmer that day so the producers had all the guys change and wait outside at the pool for Lily to arrive. 

“Hello boys.” Lily walked into the backyard wearing a short sleeved, yellow sundress and white sneakers. Her hair was pulled back in a loose braid that fell over her left shoulder. There was a chaotic jumble of hellos coming from the group before Sirius walked forward and gave Lily a hug. 

“Sorry guys,” Sirius called as he walked inside with Lily. “We’ve got a date to get to!”

“Bye guys.” Lily waved. 

_“No way!”_

James and Remus looked at one another, eyebrows raised, before following where Lily and Sirius went. They walked out the front doors of the mansion to find Sirius sitting behind the wheel of a teal blue, classic Thunderbird convertible with Lily in the passenger seat. 

In his simple white t-shirt, black jeans, and Ray Bans, Remus couldn’t help but notice how impossibly cool Sirius looked in that car. It was no surprise why Lily had chosen him for this particular date. 

“Get jealous, boys.” Sirius looked at them and smiled as he stretched one arm on the seat behind Lily. He put the car in drive and they were gone. 

______________________________

James and Remus decided to take advantage of the warm weather and were sitting at the edge of the pool when they heard someone walk up behind them. 

“You must’ve spun some pretty good story to get that first rose from Lily.” 

James and Remus looked up to see Evan standing above them with a beer in his hand, Severus a few feet behind him. Remus just rolled his eyes and hit James lightly on the arm to turn his attention back to their conversation. 

“What sort of lie did you tell her? There’s no way you would’ve made it through the first night otherwise.”

James shot up and turned to face Evan. “What the hell did you just say?”

“You’re not much better. Playing lacrosse in college doesn’t make you cool. It just makes you washed up.” This time it was Severus who spoke.

Remus was standing now. He was very aware of the camera crew moving in to get a better look at the fight. 

“Maybe if you weren’t so busy worrying about me and James, you two would be on a date with Lily right now.” Remus gave James a light shove to get him to walk away. “Let’s go, James.” 

“Lily deserves so much more than those two.” James said as they walked back into the house. “If that’s how they’re acting week one, I’m sure it’s going to get much worse.”

Remus nodded. “Try not to worry about them. Lily’s smart, she’ll be able to figure them out for herself.”

It was later that night when there was a knock on the door, the second date card waiting just outside on a small table. Stephen went to get the card this time to read it to the room. 

“It’s a group date. Evan. Peter. Remus. Severus. Derrick. James. Alex. Avery. Brendan. Kevin. Patrick. And myself. The clue is: Picture us together.” 

After the announcement of the second date, most of the guys wandered back to their rooms to lounge for the rest of the evening. It was nearing ten-thirty that night and Sirius still hadn’t returned from his date. Remus found himself sitting in the living room with James and Peter, all three of their eyes glued to Sirius’s packed suitcases in the hall. 

“There no way she wouldn’t give him a rose tonight, right?” James asked, pursing his lips. 

“His suitcases are still here. That’s a good sign.” Remus wasn’t sure who was trying to reassure more, James or himself. 

They sat in silence for a while longer before the front door finally opened. The three of them shot up as Sirius waltzed into the living room, a smile wide on his face. 

“Yes!” James exclaimed, running forward and slapping Sirius on the back. 

“You really didn’t think I’d come back?” Sirius asked, incredulously. 

“We just hoped you would.” Remus smiled and patted Sirius on the back as all four of them went upstairs. 

______________________________ 

The day of the group date arrived and the twelve guys that Lily invited piled into a limo taking them to a beach house in Malibu. The limo pulled into the driveway and Lily was waiting for them in the yard, looking beautiful in a white bikini top and blue floral skirt tied around her hips. 

“Welcome to Malibu. Looks at this beautiful view!” Lily spread her arms wide and turned her back to the guys, directing their attention to the view overlooking the ocean. “Pretty amazing.” 

Lily led them down a staircase connecting the yard to the beach. Once they reached the edge of the water she turned to face the group again. 

“Okay guys, so we’re not just here to play at the beach. We’re also here to do a photoshoot.” 

There was an excited uproar from the group. Remus groaned. 

“And we’re going to be doing it with a renowned photographer. He’s shot a lot of people like Gigi and Bella Hadid, Zac Efron, and Justin Bieber. So we’re all going to look really good today. Michael, come on over!”

The photographer walked forward and greeted them all with a smile. 

“Hey guys, it’s nice to meet you. We’re gonna have fun today. It’s going to be the sexy guy calendar.”

Remus ran a hand over his face. 

“The best part is the calendar is going to go to charity and be sold all over the country!” Lily was clearly excited about this date. 

“My students are going to use my picture as a dart board when they get their hands on it,” Remus whispered to James. The other boy let out a laugh and elbowed him in the side as Michael continued. 

“Let’s get into hair and makeup, come on.” 

“Cheers to a great day and to a good cause!” Lily was beaming. 

James was loving every minute of this date. He was one of the first to get his outfit from the crew and head to the wooden cabana to change. Remus was hanging back, watching the other guys get their outfits when Lily sidled up next to him. 

“Not big into photoshoots?”

“Not sexy ones, no.” Remus laughed. 

“Let’s go see what they have for you,” Lily said, linking her arm around his and dragging him to the clothing rack. 

The girl in charge of their outfits was a petite blonde with wild curls and sparkling blue eyes. She was standing with Dorcas, who seemed to be in charge of getting footage of the costume selection. “Hi there, sweetheart. I’m Marlene.”

“Hello, I’m Remus.”

Marlene cocked her head and seemed to study Remus for a moment before she snapped her fingers. Remus thought the smile that crossed her face almost looked wicked as she filtered through clothes on the rack. When she turned back around and handed him his outfit - outfit being a generous term - Remus was sure this girl actually was evil. 

“No way.” 

“This will be perfect. _Trust_ me. I wouldn’t steer you wrong. It’s my job.”

Lily laughed so hard she had tears falling down her cheeks. “Oh Remus, I’m sorry but your face is priceless.”

“I really can’t swap this out?”

“Nope. I’m the professional. Now shoo,” Marlene said, waving him in off in the direction of the changing room. 

Remus parted ways with Lily and reluctantly walked to the cabana. As he approached James and Peter, the boys took one look at his outfit and doubled over in laughter. 

“Not a word.” Remus gave them a serious look before closing the door behind him. 

He hung the hanger on the wall and held his outfit in his hands. It was a maroon speedo. That was it. No shirt, nothing. Remus thought he might die of embarrassment. 

“Come on, Remus! You have to come out eventually,” Peter called. 

“Easy for you to say! You’ve got normal swim trunks!”

Remus wondered what he had ever done to this Marlene girl that made him deserve this. The thing barely even fit him. It was obscene. He sighed and opened the door to walk back outside. 

“Holy shit! Remus, I knew you were tall but that’s borderline pornographic!” 

Remus flipped James off. 

“I’ll kill you if you say another word.” 

A wolf whistle came from his right and he turned to see the smiling faces of Marlene and Dorcas. The camera was pointed right at him. Remus ran a hand through his hair and walked toward James and Peter, using them as a shield. 

James looked like he was born to be behind the camera. Which, in a way, he sort of was. His job was to be on camera. He posed casually with an arm on the railing in deep blue swim trunks and a cream colored sweater tied around his neck. Peter was made to do some pose with a telescope and a sailor’s hat. As he watched the other guys take their photos, Remus was somewhat relieved that he wasn’t the only one who had been given such a tiny swimsuit. 

Finally, it was his turn. The photographer had him lean against the doorframe of the cabana with Lily leaning against him, hand on his chest. 

“Marlene was right, Remus. You look good.” Lily gave him a wink before walking away to finish up her own photos. 

______________________________

After their photoshoot on the beach, the guys were allowed to change back into their clothes for the remainder of the date. They piled in the limo again, this time with Lily, and made their way to a restaurant. 

“We have this place all to ourselves. We have a little spread, so help yourselves and let’s have some fun.”

Remus grabbed himself one of the cocktails - he deserved it, after today - and followed James and Peter to the couch. 

“I want to start off by saying thank you so much. We should all feel really good about what we did today. It was for such a good cause. And you guys all looked really hot.” Lily laughed and raised her own glass to the group. “So, cheers to that.”

They all clinked their glasses together and took a sip. Lily stood and extended a hand toward Remus with a smile. 

“Let’s go talk.”

They walked into the next room and took a seat beside one another on a couch. 

“I want to thank you for doing that today. I know you were uncomfortable but it meant a lot to me that you did it anyway.”  
Remus smiled and shrugged his shoulder. “It’s alright. I was mostly just thinking about what all my students will say when I see them again.” 

“Oh, you’ll never hear the end of it.” Lilly laughed. 

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Remus laughed too and took a sip of his drink. “It was for a good cause, though. Couldn’t leave a month out of the calendar.”

“Excuse me? May I interrupt?”

Lily and Remus both looked up to see Severus waiting in the doorway. 

“Of course. It was nice talking to you, Lily,” he said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek as he stood. 

“I’ll talk to you later, Remus.” 

Severus was seething as Remus walked past him and couldn’t help the smirk that spread across his face as he passed him. The rest of the evening passed pretty much the same. Peter was the next to talk to Lily. Then it was James. And so on. 

“Hey Peter, did you manage to get out more than a squeak when you talked to Lily?” Evan teased. Avery and Severus snickered alongside him. 

“Ignore them, Pete,” Remus said. James looked like he was about to say something back when Lily came back in the room. She took a seat and picked up the rose that had been left on the table. 

“I just want to say I had a lot of great conversations tonight. Some of you really opened up to me and I really appreciate that. I’m going to give the rose tonight to a guy who never let me forget that he was there and that he’s here for me. I’m going to give this rose to Stephen.” 

Stephen smiled and walked over to Lily.

“Will you accept this rose?”

“Absolutely. Thank you.” Lily pinned the rose to his shirt and that was that. 

______________________________ 

A guy named Frank managed to get the second one on one date with Lily, so the rest of the guys had the day to relax until the Rose Ceremony that evening. The weather wasn’t very warm but the sun was out, so somehow Sirius had convinced Remus to go swimming with him while James and Peter were immersed in a game of chess. 

Dorcas had followed them out to the pool for some shots of them jumping in the water. She left them after a short while and went back inside to where the rest of the boys were mingling. 

“Pretty weird being filmed all the time, right? I read the only place they don’t have cameras and microphones stationed are the bathrooms. And they can get footage of the pool but never any audio.” Remus said, dipping his shoulders beneath the water to escape the chill of the air. 

“Where’d you read that?”

“Our contracts. They have the rights to any and all footage of us to use as they wish.”

“You read that thing?”

“You didn’t?”

“That thing was massive!”

“Isn’t it, like, your job to read contracts?” Remus arched an eyebrow as he looked at Sirius. 

“Hence why I didn’t feel like reading another,” Sirius said, laying back in the pool to float on his back. 

They floated in silence for a while before Remus looked back over at Sirius. 

“Hey Sirius?” 

“Hmm?”

“What was law school like?”

“Fucking miserable. Most pretentious people I’ve ever met. Hated every minute of it. Why?”

Sirius stood back up in the shallow end of the pool and leaned his back against the wall. Remus followed suit and leaned an arm on the side. 

“I always wanted to go back to graduate school. Work to get my PhD.” 

“You should do that. You actually want to be there so I’m sure you would love graduate school. I was against law school from before I even enrolled.” 

“Why did you go then?” 

“Ugh, my family. Everyone’s a lawyer. They wanted me to prove myself and work for my dad.” Sirius shook his hair out and pushed himself up to sit on the edge of the pool. 

“There’s so much you can do with a law degree, though. Maybe you just need to find something you enjoy.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Sirius stood up and offered a hand to Remus. “Come on, we should probably shower and get ready for the cocktail party.” 

Remus let Sirius pull him to his feet and the two went back to join the others. 

______________________________

“If Frank comes back with a rose tonight, that means there’s one less rose for us.”

“If he comes back, someone should just step up and leave. And if no one volunteers, we throw Peter out the front door,” Evan retorted. There were a few laughs around the room. 

“You really are a miserable shit, aren’t you?” James glared at Evan. 

They were all in the living room again, dressed in their suits when Lily came in to join them for the cocktail party. She was wearing a light blue, satin cocktail dress and her hair was curled again. Frank was not with her. 

“I know there’s some of you who I haven’t had time with yet and I promise that will come, but in general I’m just so excited you all are here. I feel like I got to know everyone a little better this week which is a really good feeling. Cheers to another cocktail party”

Evan was the first to stand, approaching Lily to ask her to talk. 

“We’ll catch up tonight.”. She turned away and approached one of the guys who hadn’t gotten a date, leading him outside. 

The rest of them settled around the room for another long evening. Remus, Peter, Sirius, and James found themselves standing along the wall away from the conversation happening on the couch. 

“Do you think she already knows who her final 10 are going to be?” Derrick asked. 

“I think she probably has a good idea of how she feels about everyone.” Stephen answered. 

“Remus, if you get one on one time tonight, you gonna try to make out with her?” Evan laughed.

“Don’t make me sick," Severus said. Remus just rolled his eyes. 

Sirius laughed obnoxiously loud. “Wait, you can’t actually believe that _you_ would have a chance at kissing Lily, Snivvelus.” 

James joined in the laughter at the nickname. “After seeing Remus in his speedo, I’d probably make out with him. Anyone would!”

Remus groaned and put his head in his hands. “Please let the speedo go.” 

“I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of that calendar.” Sirius winked at Remus. 

“I’ll burn it before you do.”

“Have another drink, Remus. Loosen up.” 

Remus, Sirius, James, and Peter were all raising their glasses to cheers when Lily came in. 

“Oh Lily, just in time,” James smiled at her. 

Lily laughed and touched her glass to each of theirs before pulling Evan away to talk. 

The two couldn’t have been gone for more than five minutes when Evan came back, gathering the attention of the room. 

“I was just talking to Lily. She heard that someone said I was dangerous. I just want to know who would’ve said that about me.”

The room stayed pretty silent as everyone looked at one another. 

When no one said anything, Evan turned his attention to Remus. “Is this what you do? Go running to Lily instead of dealing with your own problems?”

“I have better things than you to talk about with Lily. Don’t flatter yourself,” Remus said dryly. 

“God, grow a backbone,” Evan snarled, shoving Remus hard in the shoulder and causing him to stumble back slightly. 

Sirius was standing between them in an instant, shoving Evan hard in the chest. 

“Try that again. I dare you.”

“He’s not worth it,” Remus said, pulling Sirius away. 

As if he sensed things were about to get out of hand, Chris Harrison entered the room with Lily. 

“Gentlemen, it’s that time again. Lily, if you will join me - it’s time for the second Rose Ceremony.”

______________________________

Frank, Evan, and Patrick went home that week. Remus couldn’t have been happier to see Evan go, for Lily’s sake.


	4. Week Two - Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my amazing beta @mmtittle for all your help.
> 
> I will also be starting a companion piece that will feature the one-on-one dates that are not shown in this fic, so stay tuned for that!

It had become sort of a morning ritual for Remus to wake early before the rest of the house to enjoy his shower and breakfast in peace. It was rare to find any moment alone in the mansion, even as the number of contestants living in the house grew smaller. Only Dorcas was awake and in the kitchen when he entered each morning, and Remus had come to enjoy their conversations together. It was nice to talk to someone who wasn’t technically your competition. 

“Morning, Dorcas.” Remus smiled as he walked into the kitchen and saw the girl pouring herself a cut of coffee. 

“Morning, Remus! Coffee?” she asked, looking at him over her shoulder and holding up a second mug. 

“Please.” Remus walked to the fridge to pull out the creamer before taking the steaming mug from Dorcas with a smile. He stirred in a generous amount of cream and sugar before joining Dorcas at the kitchen island. 

“Getting bored in the mansion yet?”

“Not bored, necessarily. Depending how far I make it, I don’t think I brought enough books with me.” 

“I have a feeling you’re here for a while, Remus. Don’t tell anyone I said that, though. I’m not supposed to have favorites.” Dorcas winked at him with a smile. “Have you already blown through the books you brought with you?”

“Not yet, but I’m nearly finished with one and have a feeling I could finish the second by the end of the week.” 

“I can bring a book in for you tomorrow? I just finished one last week and I absolutely loved it.” 

“I’d really appreciate that, thanks. What book is it?”

“Oh, it’s no problem at all. It’s Elton John’s new book about his life. The only stipulation is that you have to talk to me about it when you finish, because I’ve been dying to talk about it with someone.” 

“You’ve got yourself a deal. I actually don’t know too much about his life, so that should be a good read.” 

“We can turn our morning coffee chats into a little book club. This will be great!” 

The two chatted for a little while longer as they finished their coffee, discussing their favorite books and recommending each other ones they hadn’t read yet. When the sound of footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs of the mansion, Dorcas looked at her watch and sighed. 

“You should probably go finish getting ready. Chris’ll be coming in soon for more filming.” 

“Thanks, Dorcas. I’ll see you later.”

Remus made his way back to his room, turning on the lights to wake up Sirius, James, and Peter so that they could get ready for the day as well. There was some grumbling from the beds at the intrusion but, slowly but surely, they all started getting out of bed to get dressed. The four men filed down the stairs toward the living room, which was already crowded with some of the other contestants and camera crews as they got ready for the day. 

“Guys if you would, come join me in the living room?” 

Chris Harrison was in the foyer, voice loud enough to gather the attention of all the contestants spread out on the first floor of the mansion. Remus took a seat in one of the remaining armchairs, Sirius squeezing himself on the edge beside him so that he had a place to sit. 

“Hi guys, good morning. Fourteen of you left and, hopefully, one of you will be Lily’s fiance. This week, there will be one group date and two individual dates. Once again, Lily will have a rose to give out on each date. If you get a rose, you’re safe through the next Rose Ceremony - nothing to worry about. The individual dates - if you do not get a rose, you will be going home immediately. So pack your bags just in case.” 

“Before I leave, a word of advice. Like last week, not everyone here will have a date with Lily. So when you get time with her, whether it’s on a date, here at the house, wherever. Take full advantage, it might be the only time you have with her.”

“First date card, right here. Enjoy the week and I hope to see all of you at the next Rose Ceremony.”

Chris left the date card on the coffee table as there was a chorus of goodbyes from all the men in the room. One of the contestants sitting closest to the card stood and picked up the card to read it aloud to the room. 

“James - Love is a balancing act.” 

“Yes!” James exclaimed, jumping in the air with both fists thrust above his head. 

“She picked the clumsiest guy here for a date card talking about balance. He’ll be gone by morning,” Severus muttered in the corner, earning a few laughs from the men sitting around him.

Remus stood from his seat, smiling at James and offering him a pat on the back. 

“Don’t listen to Severus. He’s just upset there hasn’t been a scrapbook themed date yet so he could really showcase his abilities.” 

“I love sassy Remus,” Sirius said, reaching to throw an arm around Remus’s shoulders and drag him toward the doors. All the contestants were being shuffled outside where they were to wait for Lily’s arrival for the first date. James waved them off, turning to head back to the room and change into something nicer for his date. 

About half an hour later, James joined them in the backyard again. “Seriously James, what took so long? Your hair still looks a mess,” Sirius said, reaching a hand out to tousle James’s hair only for it to be swat away. 

“Don’t you dare. Believe it or not, this took work.”

Remus, Sirius, and Peter all let out a laugh but were quickly quieted by the sound of the back door opening and Lily walking out. 

“Hey guys!” Lily beamed at all the men, wearing a simple pair of jeans and a flowing green top. 

James was frozen on the spot, staring at Lily with a dopey smile on his face until Peter nudged him in the side. Pulled from his daze, James walked up to Lily and pulled her into a hug. 

“Wow Lily, you look great!” 

“Thanks, you too.”

“You sure you wanna let James drive?” Sirius said, sidling up to James and raising an eyebrow at Lily. 

“Oh, we’re not going by land - we’re going by air.”

Before anyone could ask her what that entailed, there was a gust of wind as a helicopter flew above the mansion. It hovered there for a moment before lowering down toward the landing zone past the parking lot of the mansion. James and Lily high fived one another and ran off toward the helicopter holding hands. 

“Bye guys!” they called in unison before they disappeared through the gates and out of sight. 

Once James and Lily had left for their date, most of the camera crew left to meet them at the next location leaving only a few to film the interactions of the men around the house. Everyone split off to find some way to keep themselves busy, most heading inside the house to get out of the chill of the early morning air. 

Remus wandered back to his room to get his book before finding a quiet room in the house, settling in on the couch to read in peace. He was pretty close to finishing this one and figured he could do so today with all the free time they would have. 

The sound of footsteps entering the room made Remus look up from the page and he smiled when he saw Dorcas walk in, camera in hand. 

“Hey Dorcas.”

“Shhh Remus, you’re supposed to ignore me when I have the camera on.” 

“Right, sorry. Nothing more exciting for you to film today?” Remus gave her a wry smile as he turned his eyes back to the page to at least make it look like he wasn’t paying her any attention. 

“It was getting boring in there, too. Figured I’d show the world our resident bookworm. Now quiet for real,” she said with a laugh, putting her face behind the lens as she moved about the room as she filmed. 

Only a few seconds had passed before another person walked into the room, heaving a very loud and dramatic sigh. Remus didn’t look up from his book this time, not wanting to ruin Dorcas’s footage. 

There was another sigh but this time the person threw themself on the couch, landing partially on Remus. Lifting an eyebrow, Remus lowered his gaze below his book to see the smiling face of Sirius Black staring back at him, his head resting on his lap. 

“Need something?” 

“I’m bored.” 

“You could try reading a book?” Remus asked, lifting his eyes back to the book in his hands as he turned the page. 

Sirius groaned and with a sigh, Remus closed his book and placed it beside him on the arm of the couch. “Did you have something in mind?”

“We could go swimming?”

“It’s freezing out.”

“There's a hot tub?”

“It’s still cold outside, though.”

“Pleeease, Remus,” Sirius almost whined, widening his eyes and giving him a mock pout. “All Peter wants to do is play chess. Plus, he’s not as fun as you.” 

“Okay, okay. Fine. Let’s go change,” Remus said, shoving Sirius with a smile as he stood from the couch. 

Sirius scrambled from his place on the couch and hurried past Remus as he left the room to go change. Remus heard Dorcas let out a laugh as he walked out of the room and turned to her with a smile. 

“I thought you had to be quiet?” he asked as he quirked an eyebrow before turning to follow Sirius up the stairs. 

When they entered the room, Remus closed the door behind him and pulled off his t-shirt as he made his way to his suitcase. 

“I don’t think anyone was outside, so we should be good to -” Sirius began, stopping mid sentence. Remus pulled his swimsuit out of his suitcase and turned to look at Sirius, who was staring at him with wide eyes. 

“Uh, everything okay?”

Sirius’s face flushed as he rubbed a hand to the back of his neck. “Yeah, just - I didn’t know you had a tattoo,” he said, turning to dig through his own suitcase. 

Remus instinctively craned his neck to look at the small tattoo on his left side, just over his ribs. In neat, fine cursive were the words “Hope Lupin.”

“Oh, yeah,” he said before moving to take off his jeans. 

“What is it?”

“It’s my mother’s name. Well, her signature actually.” 

“That’s nice. You two must be really close.” 

“Yeah, we were,” Remus said, slowly pulling on his swimsuit and sitting on the bed. “She, um, she died last year, though.” 

Remus was looking down at his hands when he felt the bed dip beside him. Sirius placed a hand over his own, giving them a comforting squeeze. 

“I’m so sorry.” Remus looked up and met Sirius’s gaze, his grey eyes shining with concern. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really. It’s not you, it’s just. Still fresh. I don’t even know why I brought it up,” he said, trying to give Sirius a reassuring smile. “Come on, let’s go out to the hot tub before anyone else snags it.” 

“God, I hope Severus isn’t using it. Might ruin hot tubs for me forever,” Sirius said, standing and walking toward the door. 

Remus let out a laugh and followed Sirius to the door, pausing before walking out. 

“Hey Sirius? Thank you.” 

Sirius paused too and gave Remus a warm smile. 

“Anytime, Re.”


End file.
